Trust and Treachery
by manic bipolar pretzel
Summary: We all know that Harry's protected in more ways than even he knows. Now he's in more trouble than ever, because the Death Eater is someone no one will suspect, and all his friends seem to be acting weird...
1. Remorse and Retributions

Returns, Remorse, and Retributions  
  
  
  
"Up! Dawn broke 2 hours ago, and the lazy lug is still in bed! Up! I want you to tend to breakfast. Everything must be perfect for Dudley's birthday. Now move!"  
  
"Dudley's birthday. How could I forget?" Harry grumbled, as he pulled off spiders from his socks (he had felt like sleeping in the cabinet under the stairs the night before), getting dressed before Aunt Petunia got really mad. Almost 16, and going into his 5th year at Hogwarts, Harry was still being treated like trash at his "home". He slowly walked into the kitchen, and, after checking on the frying bacon, he began flipping pancakes (A/N:flapjacks or whatever you want to call them) and making scrambled eggs. Dudley came down, and was actually looking just portly today, instead of disgustingly fat. The diet from the other summer must finally be taking effect, Harry thought.  
  
Uncle Vernon came in, reading the paper, his beefy face as red as ever, as Aunt Petunia barked orders at Harry to get moving, and to bring in Dudley's presents. "You can leave the one outside," she whispered to him. Harry winced, knowing that this meant Dudley had indeed gotten a car, and he made mental note to keep off the sidewalks. Dudley began banging on the table, demanding food, his fat face grinning in a way that made Harry dearly wish he could throw up, but then he'd have to clean it up, and didn't feel like it. He served Dudley about half the food that had been prepared, Uncle Vernon most of what was left, and Aunt Petunia all the rest. He had been forced to find his own grub this summer, and once again his friends had risen to the occasion spectacularly. He was about to go to his room, when Uncle Vernon said, "Boy, go and fetch the post (A/N: mail, for all you American pals out there)."  
  
Harry walked to the slit in the front door, and found a letter for him! Remembering what had happened the last times that had happened, he left it on the steps, and brought Uncle Vernon the rest. He then escaped form the kitchen as fast as he possibly could without arising much suspicion, picked up the letter, and dashed into his room. He looked at it more closely, and smiled now, for the Weasleys were getting much better at using muggle post; only ten stamps this time. He opened the letter eagerly, and got a formal note from Mrs. Weasley that he was supposed to give to his aunt and uncle about staying with the Weasleys for the remainder of the summer (Dumbledore had said it was ok). He hoped that it would be ok, for ever since the Dursleys had found out about Cedric's death at the end of the year, they had been treating Harry with more contempt than usual, as if they thought that it was in some way his fault. He decided that it would probably be smarter to wait until after Dudley's birthday to ask them. Today was Wednesday, and so he would wait until Friday to ask them. Harry laid back on his bed. It was going to be a long two days...  
  
****************************************************** Meanwhile, somewhere out there:  
  
The Auror was having increasing difficulty sleeping, and even the potions Snape made were no longer having any noticeable affects. All this guilt, this pent up feeling, for being assigned to help Harry Potter. There ought to be pride in those feelings, but there wasn't. There was dread at what Harry would do if he ever found out why they were friends. The Auror shuddered, and wished Dumbledore would get back soon, so that they could talk again.  
  
**************************************************** Meanwhile (again), somewhere else out there:  
  
Voldemort could not help smiling. All those long hours, and that careful planning. Surely not even Dumbledore had thought of this way to get to Harry Potter. This school year was sure to be Harry's last, as Voldemort smiled at the willing and loyal servant who had been honored, chosen, to be the one to kill Harry Potter.  
  
The servant smiled, saying, "I will not fail you, Master."  
  
A/N: du-Dun-DUN!!! what will happen? oh goodness, the suspense is building! sorry, but i had to get the story started that way, i promise it will get better. please review! flame if you want, but review! 


	2. Guilt, Cleaning, and a Bad Feeling About...

Guilt, Cleaning, and A Bad Feeling About This  
  
Harry finally got to rest on Dudley's birthday. He had been left behind, and forced to work, being ordered to "Get the whole house clean!" So he had been, cleaning inside and out; 5 hours of mowing the lawn, sweeping, wiping, dusting, mopping, just cleaning. Now it was finally done, and Harry had really enjoyed the look on Uncle Vernon's face when he realized that there was absolutely nothing left for him to tell Harry to do. Dudley was going to be having a huge party with all his "friends" tomorrow (Harry seriously doubted that Dudley could have friends), and he was just required to stay out of the way. That wouldn't be too hard. He just had to pass the time for a day, since it was after midnight now. He sat at his window, eagerly awaiting Hedgewig's return. Harry had sent her to deliver a letter to Sirius a few days ago, so she should be back soon. He was tired after all the work he had done today, and almost didn't move in time to let her in the window. He gave her some water to drink, and took the letter off her leg. He read it eagerly, and this is what it said:  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
I know that it's been a while since you've heard from me, but things are slowly returning back to normal at Hogwarts. Don't let your guard down, though. I think that since Voldemort got so close to killing you last time, he's bound to try again soon. I don't want you doing too much to endanger yourself at Hogwarts, try t be careful, and don't sneak around too much. Have a Happy Birthday! (I know it's coming up.) Love, Sirius  
  
Harry scowled. "Lay low again. I still don't see how he can say that after all he'd done at Hogwarts," he grumbled. Oh well, he thought. I'll think about it later, I might as well do some of my homework, and then I might be able to sleep through tomorrow.  
  
He then did just that, and worked with a will until the sun rose, when he slept all day. He even managed to sleep through Dudley's party somehow.  
  
He got up Friday morning, and went down to help with breakfast, leaving the note from the Weasleys in front of Uncle Vernon, who was reading the paper.  
  
"What's this?"  
  
"It's a note from the family of my friend from school." Harry broke off, smiling as Uncle Vernon stiffened at the mention of Harry's school. "They want to know if I could go and spend the rest of the summer with them, and then they'll make sure I get my supplies and get on the school train."  
  
"It's really beyond me why these people want you to spend time with them. You really are just a pest," Uncle Vernon muttered as he stalled, trying to decide what to do. This battle was happening more and more often, send Harry away (which is good), or make him happy (which is bad). "Well, I guess you can go, but I don't want to have to drive you anywhere. They'll have to come here." He paused, and then added, "And they're NOT coming through the chimney."  
  
"Ok, Uncle Vernon. Thanks, I'll let them know," said Harry, turning to leave.  
  
"When can we expect you to be gone?"  
  
"I don't know. Probably within the week."  
  
"Good."  
  
Harry left to go send Hedgewig with a letter to Ron, feeling immensely glad that the conversation had stopped there.  
  
***************************************************  
  
"I've told you, this is not your fault. The guilt you feel is just a normal reaction. But remember, you should feel proud, too. You are the youngest Auror in history; you were especially trained once we were sure that your personality would match up with Harry's. Don't you remember the training? It's no wonder that you can easily excel in Defense Against the Dark Arts, you were already taught all of it," Dumbledore explained, trying to get through to the Auror.  
  
"But will Harry see it that way? Will he see that I'm "doing a service to him and all of the wizarding world"? No, he'll be angry that I befriended him because I had to, not because I wanted to," the Auror replied. Sighing, and looking frighteningly small all of the sudden, Dumbledore winced as he was shown one of the Auror's few moments of weakness. Now it was Dumbledore's turn to sigh, as he began to try again.  
  
***************************************************  
  
"Now remember, when you kidnap the student, you must become them, and hide their body with me. Use the same spell as the fake Moody did before,and take their place. Know then inside and out, and act accordingly. We can't have a new student, that would cause too much attention. Know this, if you fail me again, you will die," Voldemort warned the Death Eater.  
  
"I know the consequences for failure, my lord. I will not fail again, not after you spared me the first time."  
  
The Death Eater shuddered as a chill went down it's spine, fore Voldemort was laughing in that strange, high-pitched laugh of his.  
  
"Say your prayers, Harry Potter. You will die this time. You will!" 


	3. Pride, Presents, and Trouble Brewing

Pride, Presents, and Trouble Brewing  
  
Harry sat up all night, waiting for Hedgewig to return. He couldn't wait to learn when he would be allowed to leave this hell-hole. Glad that the moon was out because of the light that it provided, Harry glanced around eagerly, looking for the silhouette of his faithful owl. He was startled when he heard sounds that suggested a car was coming, but Harry couldn't see any headlights coming up the road. While he was searching for the car, he didn't see the one headed right for his window until it was right in front of him.  
  
"Hey Harry, are you ready to leave?"  
  
"Fred, where did you get the car?"  
  
"It's George, and it was a present from the Ministry to makeup for all the bad press Dad got the other year," George scowled.  
  
"Oh. He made it fly again? Never mind, you can tell me later. Where's Ron? Where's Hedgewig? I was kinda expecting her to return with your reply..."  
  
"Right then, Hedgewig's right here," said George, laughing," and Ron was stuck at home, Mum wouldn't let him come. Fred had to take care of some of our business deals in Switzerland, but he's due back tomorrow."  
  
"Oh," Harry said, smiling."If you'll excuse me, I have to throw some things into my trunk, and write a note for the aunt and uncle, and then we can go."  
  
"Here, I'll help."  
  
Harry threw some muggle clothes into a trunk, which already had most of his stuff in it, put his old books back in, and ran downstairs to get some paper and a pencil. He quickly scribbled a note that said," I'm leaving now. Have a good year, and see you next summer! ~Harry" Then George magicked Harry's trunk into the back of the car, and he and Harry jumped in. As they flew back to the Weasley's house, George explained how Mr. Weasley had managed to make their new car fly again. Apparently, Mrs. Weasley had left for a week to visit her sister or mother or someone, no one really remembered who, and while she was gone for a week, Mr. Weasley had magicked the car again.  
  
"Mum still doesn't know, and the only reason I was allowed to come get you by myself was because 'at least he can't make the darn car fly'". George said, laughing.  
  
"Excellent!" Harry agreed laughing, stroking Hedgewig (who had been in the car). (A/N: i dunno what kinda car it is, make it whatever u like, it doesn't matter)  
  
"Just so you know, Hermione's supposed to come tomorrow and stay for a while, too."  
  
"Great," Harry exclaimed. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all...  
  
**********************************************  
  
"Thank you for listening to me, Dumbledore. I'm fine now. I also have to leave, I'm to be expected." the Auror stood up to leave, with no traces on it's face that it had ever been upset.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
"Yes, sir. You know where." With that, the Auror took some Floo Powder, stepped into the flames, muttered some incomprehensible words (A/N: i used a big word yay!), and vanished.  
  
"Good luck," Dumbledore said to the fireplace. He was glad that that had been the one to be picked to be Harry's closest protector. The Auror had never truly left Harry, not even in 1st year when he had battled Quirrel. Oh, had Fudge been mad! But, as the Auror had said, "My job is to protect Harry from Voldemort, not fight his battles for him. He won that battle, as he should have, Voldemort being as weak as he was. And I was the one who finally killed Quirrel, while Dumbledore took care of the rest. Don't tell me how to do my job, Fudge, unless you think you can do it better. I did what I believed was right for Harry at the time. He is still alive, and he will recover. I see no problem." Dumbledore smiled, as he remembered and admired the Auror's inner strength. Even last year, when Fudge gad been livid, the Auror had simply said, "It was written the Voldemort would rise again, only to be totally destroyed at his greatest moment of strength. Had I saved Harry then, Voldemort would never truly be able to be destroyed. You will see one day, Fudge. Have faith."  
  
"I wish you well," Dumbledore said, completing his small prayer.  
  
***************************************  
  
"All goes well, sir. The student has been chosen, the potion is ready, and I know the student as well as anybody."  
  
"Very well, you may begin your mission. Do not report back until it is done!"  
  
"Yes, sire. As you wish," said the Death Eater, bowing low and backing away.  
  
***************************************  
  
Harry smiled as he looked at the Weasley's house. He liked it's uniqueness, because it definitely looked as though (and probably was) it was held up by magic. They had reached the house before dawn, and as George had fun taking Harry's trunk up to Ron's room (after promising to leave the trunk and all it's contents intact, and as they had been originally), Ron came out to greet him, saying, "Harry, how're they treating you this summer?"  
  
"Not too bad, as things normally go. How's your summer been lately?"  
  
They kept talking, catching up with each other, and Harry managed to find out that Ron had been doing nothing, really, except play around with some Weasley Wizard Wheezes stuff (Fred and George do have their own business), and talk to Hermione and Harry a couple of times. Before they knew it, they were talking about Hogwarts.  
  
"Who do you think will be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? I hope its not Snape", Ron began, but before Harry could answer, they heard a yell, and turned around to see Hermione sprinting at them.  
  
"Harry! Ron! How have you guys been? I haven't seen you in ages...", Hermione said happily, talking fast enough to make her tongue fly off (A/N: i should make Fred and George do that sometime.decisions, decisions...), and gave them each a hug. "Oh, Harry, I know your birthday's not until tomorrow, but I have to give you this now, you'll love it!"  
  
Harry stared at the package in Hermione's hand for a second, then took and began ripping the paper off. "Wow", Harry whispered while Ron clamored about saying, "Show me! Show me!" Harry found himself staring at a miniature Quidditch board, just like the one Wood had had, complete with tiny players and everything. "Wow", Ron agreed, as they stared at it together.  
  
"The players change according to the team and the year, so you can have whatever teams you want playing each other. Do you like it?" Hermione looked anxious.  
  
"Of course I like it! This is great! Thanks a lot, Hermione!" Harry quickly gave her a thank you hug. Before he could ask her about his present anymore, the rest of the Weasley family came out. Everyone was there, Percy, Ginny, Fred, George, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Charlie, and Bill. The next half hour or so was consumed in welcomes, hellos, catching up with each other, and other stuff.  
  
Mrs. Weasley proposed that they have Harry's birthday dinner tonight, since everyone was here (for once). Then she whisked off to the kitchens, to start cooking. Ron, Harry, Fred, and George went off to play some Quidditch before breakfast, and Hermione and Ginny went up to Ginny's room to unpack Hermione's stuff, and talk (A/N: whatever, they just weren't with the guys, ok?).  
  
When the guys were play Quidditch, they had to stay behind the trees, so they wouldn't be seen, but they were having fun. They were just tossing balls around, when Harry's broom started acting funny, bucking around like his old broom had done during 1st year. Luckily, Harry wasn't very high off the ground, and so he fell only about 6 feet. His broom was fine when he got back on, but Harry felt uneasy. He laughed with everyone else, and continued to play, but Harry was sure he saw someone in the shadows, someone who wished him ill. The only problem was that the person wasn't big enough to have been an adult.  
  
Strange, thought Harry.  
  
The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and Harry had a great time that evening. The Weasley's had pitched together to buy Harry tickets to see the Chudley Cannons play, which he would obviously share with Ron and Hermione, and he got an owl from Snuffles, which turned out to be a lot of candy, and some advice. The small note said only this:  
  
Watch your step, and be careful. Trouble is brewing as the Darkness grows.  
  
Harry quickly stuffed the note in his pocket, glancing to see that no one had seen, and missed the smile on the Auror's face. At least Sirius was doing his part well. And it was true, trouble was brewing...  
  
A/N: i know, a cliffhanger, it'll get better i promise! please review, and tell me whether the Auror should be Ron or Hermione, and who the Death Eater should be. thanx! 


	4. Meetings and Back to School Shopping

Meetings and Back-to-School Shopping  
  
  
  
Harry awoke from his dream feeling slightly unnerved. It had been Sirius's note to him about trouble brewing. He kept having the odd feeling that there was something he should be paying more attention to. 'Weird,' he thought, and went back to sleep.  
  
The Auror, however, couldn't sleep. Try as Dumbledor might, he couldn't put the Auror's fears to rest. 'I don't think he'll be willing to forgive me. too many betrayals in a life for one so young.' It prowled the house, alert for even the smallest of noises. There would be no escaping Fudge this time, if Harry got hurt. It didn't think it could stand being fired, on top of everything else. It would just be too much.  
  
******************************  
  
"Are you leaving now?"  
  
"Yes, Lord. I will come back once a month to report."  
  
"No! You fool! I don't need anything form Hogwarts! I just need Harry Potter dead! Don't leave here yet. I want to plan his death. Every excruciating moment of it." Voldemort broke off, laughing maniacally.  
  
"But Lord, the student could begin to show side effects."  
  
"I don't care! We will attack soon enough. I have waited for this moment for 15 years- what makes you think that a few measly months will make any difference?"  
  
"Sorry, Lord."  
  
"You will return to your home now. Feed Nagini on your way out."  
  
"Yes, Lord," said the Death Eater, shuddering. It hated when Voldemort was like this. They had to kill the boy now, or it would be too late.  
  
*********************************  
  
"Ron didn't come with George to pick you up?" Hermione asked Harry. "That's weird. I mean, that's not like him. I winder what could be so important that he would miss picking up his best friend."  
  
"Well, I'm sure it was important-"  
  
"Well, let's ask him," Hermione said as Ron walked in. "Hey Ron? Where were you when George was picking Harry up?"  
  
Ron's ears turned red as he answered with a, "Didn't he tell you? Mum wouldn't let me come?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Oh, she was just being picky. My room wasn't clean enough, she said. I had to clean it." Ron now appeared to be very uncomfortable.  
  
Hermione gave him a look that clearly said, "You don't fool me." Then she turned back to Harry and they began discussing when they were going to Diagon Alley to get their school supplies. Ron joined in the conversation once he had begun breathing normally again, and they found out that they could go later that day. "Good," Harry said. "I wanna get it done and over with."  
  
The Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione headed out to Diagon Alley that afternoon. They split up into groups, and agreed to meet at the Leaky Cauldron later. First, Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed into Flourish and Blotts. Hermione was getting her usually insane supply of quills and parchments (she got way more than necessary), while Harry and Ron looked around. Harry the found a part of the shop he'd never been into before, and as it wasn't roped off, he wandered into it.  
  
There were cobwebs all over the place, and spiders spinning webs. It seemed to be a supply room of some kind, but not one that had been used anytime in the past century. Harry turned around to go back into the lighted part of the store, when a hand grabbed him from behind. With a muffled shout, he was pulled back into the shadows.  
  
"Watch your step," a voice hissed in his ear. "You never know what the Darkness hides." With that, Harry was thrust back into the lighted part of the store. He turned, and found himself staring at a blank wall.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
"Right here. Ron, the weirdest thing just happened to me. There was this room back here, and somebody pulled me into it. Then they whispered something to me, pushed me back out here, and I turned around and the room was gone."  
  
Ron gave Harry a scrutinizing look, and then shook his head. "No more of Mum's porridge for you."  
  
"No, Ron, really. I swear." but he never finished, because the Hermione came over and dragged them out of the store and over to the Apothecary. Harry told Hermione what happened, and she too looked at him funny, and then said, "Are you sure you weren't daydreaming, Harry?"  
  
Harry gave up trying to explain what had happened to his friends. The last thing they needed was him thinking that he was delusional or paranoid. He shrugged it off, and went to go get his books for the year with Ron and Hermione.  
  
While he was looking for the Defense Against the Dark Arts book he needed, he bumped into someone behind him. He turned around to apologize, and found himself looking into the cold gray eyes of Malfoy. "What do you want Malfoy?"  
  
"An apology would be nice, Potter." HE spat the name out with contempt.  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you," said Harry, before walking off.  
  
"Hey Potter! You might wanna watch your step. I heard that there might be some trouble this year." Malfoy yelled after him spitefully.  
  
Harry determinedly walked straight ahead, and showed no sign of hearing that last comment. But he had heard, and he frowned. Was he paranoid? Or was something really big going to happen at Hogwarts this year? Then, showing that he truly was his father's son, he thought, 'At least I'll be there to be part of it, or see it!'  
  
The Auror frowned, too. 'I knew Harry was supposed to be warned about the upcoming danger, but this is two times too many that he's been told to watch out. Something else is going on.' Shrugging, the Auror met up with Harry outside the shop. Maybe Fudge couldn't be trusted.  
  
Harry waited for Ron and Hermione to catch up with him outside the shop. "Harry!" Ron called. "It's time to head over to the Leaky Cauldron!" Harry sighed with relief. This day was soon to be over. How he hated Mondays.  
  
  
  
A/N: i absolutely love all u peeps who reviewed. thank u!!! i now know who the auror will be and who the death eater will be, and whose place the death eater will take. thanx so much or reviewing!!! i hope this kinda long chap makes up for me not posting for a while. the posts are slowing down now. i'm getting a social life!!! yayayayayayayayayayaya!!! 


	5. Sleeping, Sneaking, and Suspicions

Once they got to the Leaky Cauldron, the rest of the day was pretty much eventless. Oh sure, Hagrid got a little drunk, and Ginny spilled her drink all over Harry and immediately became immensely embarrassed, but other than that, nothing happened.  
  
However, Harry was feeling a little uncomfortable. He was going to be starting his 5th year at Hogwarts (a/n: he's turning 15, not 16) and both of his friends didn't seem to be acting like themselves. Hermione kept spacing out during their conversation, and Ron kept giving off a mysterious aura, as if he was hiding something. Sirius, too, was being a little more protective than usual. He'd had four warnings of trouble in four days, and two of them were from Sirius. Obviously something big was happening again this year.  
  
That night, when Harry slept, he had a dream. It was just a normal nightmare, or even a really messed-up dream. It was a Voldemort dream; the ones he had when Voldemort was feeling particularly murderous. He was in a room, and it seemed to be in the Riddle mansion. . .  
  
"How is the student fairing?"  
  
"He is weak, my Lord, but still breathing. There won't be much of a fight out of this one," a Death Eater replied. Harry could see a body lying crumpled on the floor. The face was hidden, though, and he couldn't tell who it was.  
  
"Excellent. Now, are you prepared to do it?" Voldemort was obviously plotting again.  
  
"Yes, my Lord. Shall I perform the spell now, or closer to the day at King's Cross?" The Death Eater didn't seem too eager to do "it", whatever "it" was.  
  
"You may wait. However, I warn you once more, do not fail me. The consequences will be worse than you could ever imagine." Voldemort seemed to be getting tired of the Death Eater's stalling.  
  
"Yes, my Lord." The Death Eater replied nervously.  
  
(a/n: no Death Eater/Voldemort section this chapter since the dream really did happen)  
  
Harry woke up, and glancing at the clock, it was about midnight. He was covered in a cold sweat, and the room seemed eerily quiet. 'Great,' Harry thought, 'now I won't be able to sleep for a while.' Grumbling to himself, Harry got up and put on his glasses. He tiredly made his way downstairs to see if he could find something to do down there. Or, he might g out for a run. Harry found a run strangely soothing, and the runner's high at the end always made him feel god. Now that he thought about it, a night run seemed like a good thing to do.  
  
He was about to turn around and do back upstairs to change, when he heard a floorboard creak. Suddenly, Harry was alert and wide awake. Silently, he crept downstairs, all the while cursing himself for being paranoid. He crept around the corner, desperately wishing that he had his Invisibility Cloak with him. He turned the corner in time to see someone disappear into the sudden flames, muttering something incomprehensible to Harry. 'Obviously using Floo Powder,' Harry thought. Unnerved, Harry no longer felt like going out for a run. He crept back upstairs to Ron's room to tell him what he saw, but Ron wasn't there. Harry was suddenly very nervous. He normally would have gone off looking for him, but he had no clue as to where to look.  
  
Sitting on his bed and deep in thought, Harry gradually feel asleep.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
The Auror Flooed into Fudge's office. Fudge was always here at this time of night, worrying about something or sleeping. Scanning the office, the Auror noted several empty mugs, and a very small Fudge asleep in his chair. Angrily the Auror slammed its fists down on the desk. Fudge awoke with a start, coughing and sputtering. He looked dazed for a moment, but shook himself awake to stare the Auror in the eye.  
  
"Can I help you?" he asked, seemingly annoyed and innocent.  
  
"Why are you leaving me out? Voldemort-" Fudge cringed "-is obviously planning to attack Potter again this summer. Now, I've gathered sufficient evidence to know that you're planning something, too. I need to know what's going on at Hogwarts this year." The Auror stated forcefully.  
  
"What makes you think that anything else is going on this year?"  
  
"In the past 4 days, Harry has been warned 4 separate times to watch his step. That is way too much, even for Voldemort trying to psyche his victim out. Voldemort's style is to warn the victim several times, over a few months, in several different ways, to get them freaked out. Then, once they've convinced themselves that they're just paranoid and imagining it, he strikes. He always strikes when the fear is at its peak." The Auror stared at Fudge, as if daring him to question its statement.  
  
Sighing, Fudge gave in. "There's going to be a competition at Hogwarts this year." He hurried on, as the Auror looked infuriated. "It's not the Triwizard Tournament, it's something new. Dumbledore's really trying to improve inter-House relations, and so he has decided to form groups of four according to year, with one member from each House. He's going to give them a set of challenges that will require team cooperation to get through. Each team will be scored depending on how well they complete their challenge as a team. He is hoping that this will increase the number of friendships between Houses."  
  
The Auror glared. "And you didn't tell me this why-" but Fudge interrupted.  
  
"I didn't feel that it was necessary for you to know."  
  
The Auror was livid. "How is this not necessary for me to know? Potter could be put into great danger during this, especially if he is paired up with a bad one from Slytherin. No, you knew that I needed to know this. You were just by stepping my station because you thought your authority was being threatened."  
  
"I didn't feel that my authority was threatened. You were challenging it-"  
  
"Enough!" The Auror roared. "You're arguing semantics with me!" The Auror walked back over to the fire place, and just before stepping in, said, "I will have to report this Fudge. Doesn't it suck being a figurehead?" And with that, the Auror was gone.  
  
********************************************  
  
Harry woke up the next morning, and found that he hadn't slept too well. He looked and saw that Ron was in his bed now, sleeping. Frowning, Harry went downstairs where he was greeted by a very tired and grumpy Hermione. 'Strange,' Harry thought. 'Hermione is a morning person, and Ron never sneaks out at night here. There's nowhere to go, I remember him complaining about that once.'  
  
Harry's thoughtful frown never really left him that day.  
  
  
  
a/n: i updated!!! yay!! in case you haven't noticed, i have started other stories and done ok with them, but i had no idea what to do with this one. now i have a really good idea, and i know who the death eater in disguise is gonna be, and who the auror is gonna be. i'd tell u, but it would ruin the story. r&r!!! 


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